From 2000 through 2012, the Navy relieved 195 Commanding Officers (COs) for a variety of personal and professional failures under a procedure called “detach for cause.” That seemingly low number is significant due to the associated damage to expensive weapon systems, the injury or deaths o f Sailors, and damage to the organization’s image as it competes for recruits from the American people and resources from Congress. These repercussions make the failures far more consequential than raw numbers might indicate. Of 195 dismissals, Surface Warfare Officers (SWOs) accounted for 74 or 38% of them, a larger percentage than the other communities in the Navy. This research was conducted to ascertain what flaws in the surrounding culture or the training and selection process might create SWO COs who are more likely to fail. Documentation was reviewed on the causes and numbers of dismissals, the performance evaluation system, the process for qualifying and selecting COs, and ethics and leadership training. Literature was also reviewed to gain insight into the nature and impact of the SWO organizational culture on developing officers. A survey was used to determine the prevalent type of Ethical Work Climate and the presence of toxic leadership, as contributory factors in the failures of COs. Data were compiled, scored, and tested using chi-square, Cramer’s V, Z-score, and Pearson’s r calculations to determine the strength of association or correlation between factors. This uncovered the widespread occurrence of toxic leadership behaviors including narcissism, unpredictability, and abusive supervision. An elevated occurrence of the instrumental EWC was also revealed. Finally, recommendations were provided to address the findings and potentially reduce the number of failures among SWO COs.